Chapter 35: Unchanging daily life

It has been a week since Mardian assaulted me.

My mother declared that she could not let this matter go and filed a lawsuit against the Count of Abreldine in the imperial court. Although the court was initially indifferent, the investigation proceeded clearly thanks to the support of Viviana, who readily helped us.

In the end, Mardian was not punished.

Our family received some financial compensation, and the trial was concluded in secrecy. While it was proven that Mardian had kidnapped me in the carriage, it was concluded that there was no evidence to prove her attempt to assault me.

Despite various lengthy explanations, the real reason was clear. The Count of Abreldine was a founding contributor to the empire, while our family was merely a declining viscountcy. Moreover, the Count of Abreldine had undoubtedly bribed the court.

In the end, Mardian only faced minor compensation and the scandal of having kidnapped me. My mother made numerous efforts thereafter, but she eventually hit the cold wall of reality.

One night, as my mother’s face grew increasingly troubled, I secretly visited her room. My always composed mother was alone, soothing her sorrow with alcohol late at night. When I quietly sat beside her and poured her a drink, she lowered her head with a sorrowful gaze.

“I’m so sorry for being such an incompetent mother, Tina…”

“Please don’t say that.”

I comforted my mother. She was by no means incompetent. Rather, she was more capable and versatile than anyone. I approached her from behind and hugged her tightly. Whispering softly into her ear, I tried to console her.

“I love you, Mother. I love the mother who cherishes me the most in this world. I’ve never stopped loving you, so please don’t say such painful things.”

“…What have I done for you?”

“That’s not true, Mother.”

I climbed into her lap and sat on her knees, soothing her self-reproach with kisses on her cheeks and forehead.

“I can’t even imagine what would have happened to our family without you. It’s all thanks to you that I can live happily here.”

“…..”

“…Thank you so much.”

She still looked sad, but thankfully, her face seemed a bit brighter. She looked at me with slightly flushed cheeks from the alcohol and pursed her lips.

“Tina.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember when our lips touched last time?”

She seemed to be referring to the time when I accidentally kissed her lips while trying to kiss her cheek. I had worried that she might dislike me, but fortunately, she had let it go without issue.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Well… if you don’t mind… I don’t think it would be so bad.”

“What?”

I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding her words. She looked at me for a moment, then shook her head vigorously and patted my head with a gentle smile.

“It’s nothing. I must be quite drunk. You should go to bed now.”

Though puzzled, the night ended with her words. While it seemed she hadn’t fully let go of her anger toward Mardian, she soon began to handle the family affairs with her usual demeanor.

Since then, there had been no mention of Mardian. My mother seemed to avoid directly mentioning Mardian out of consideration for me.

***

And nothing had changed in the social circles either.

“Tina…”

“Lady Sharione.”

Sharione looked at me with complex emotions in her eyes. I walked towards her with slightly weak steps and fell into her embrace. Sharione patted my back, sat down on the sofa, and laid me down on her lap.

“I heard the rumors. They say something unpleasant happened with Lady Mardian.”

Sharione spoke while gently stroking my hair. Her words prompted the other ladies present to cautiously glance around and offer me their sympathy.

“You must have been very surprised, Tina.”

“Lady Mardian… she can be quite impulsive at times.”

“She must have done it because she found you so adorable. Sometimes I feel an impulsive urge just looking at you too, Tina.”

I wished they wouldn’t say such things, even in jest. One psycho villainess looking at me with lustful eyes was more than enough.

“You’ll be fine, Tina. Don’t resent Lady Mardian too much.”

Everyone was worried about me. But no one criticized Mardian harshly. They probably knew well how powerful the influence of the Count of Abreldine was.

It was inevitable.

The Count of Abreldine was a family deeply rooted in both the light and shadows of the empire. Such a family wouldn’t fall just because they messed with the daughter of a declining viscount family. The ladies here knew this well, which is why they couldn’t clearly criticize Mardian’s wrongdoings. No matter how much they cherished me, it was only as a pet to be fond of.

None of them would stand against Mardian for my sake. No matter how precious a pet dog is, it can’t be more precious than one’s livelihood. Well, it was the kind of relationship I had sought with them from the beginning, so I didn’t have major complaints.

In this situation, revealing my hostility towards Mardian would bring no benefit. It was better to use this incident to gain more favor from the ladies.

I leaned my cheek lightly against Sharione’s shoulder and gave a faint smile.

“Yes… I’m sure Lady Mardian just made a mistake. I’m not resenting her.”

“…Tina.”

“How could I resent her? I respect and like her as much as I do you, Lady Sharione. I want to resolve this misunderstanding with Lady Mardian as soon as possible.”

Resolving the misunderstanding, my foot. Just the thought of facing her red eyes made me feel nauseous. But thanks to my words, Sharione’s gaze toward me became even more affectionate.

“Tina is truly obedient.”

“There’s no way I would harbor ill feelings towards my masters, right?”

“Haha, well, I was worried that Tina might be upset, so I prepared a gift.”

“Huh? Oh, no, there’s no need for that….”

Sharione handed me a small box that was next to the sofa. When I opened it, there was a transparent glass orb inside.

“It’s a magical tool. If you keep it by your side while you sleep, it will help you rest peacefully.”

As Sharione tapped the glass orb with her finger, a gentle light emanated from the previously empty orb, accompanied by soothing music. It was indeed a perfect item to have by my side before going to sleep, just as Sharione had said.

“Thank you so much, Sharione.”

In terms of efficiency, it might not be a particularly valuable item, but as a magical tool, it was surely quite expensive. Hiding my mischievous thoughts, I hugged the glass orb tightly to my chest. The weight of the magical tool, which felt substantial, seemed to indicate its worth.

Yes, this is probably the right way to handle this for now.

If someone were to see me, they might wonder why I was still acting so affectionately despite what happened with Mardian, but there was nothing to worry about.

Mardian was a special case to begin with.

Look at Sharione or Versha; they treat me as nothing more than a lovely pet. Mardian was the abnormal one for harboring sexual desires towards a pet.

She was a villainess in the original game, tormenting one of the protagonists, Lilian, to the end. Given that she harassed Lilian both mentally and physically, she was fundamentally a twisted pervert.

It was my carelessness not to realize this. But one thing is certain: the other noble ladies will not cross the line like Mardian did. Homosexuality isn’t common in this world, and surely there couldn’t be another twisted pervert harboring sexual desires for another woman.

“Tina’s feelings are commendable, but unfortunately, you won’t be seeing Lady Mardian for a while. Count Abreldine has ordered her to be confined to her mansion for a month.”

At Sharione’s words, I swallowed my curse. Attempting to rape someone and only getting a month’s confinement in the mansion, nobles really do live a charmed life. Although I had many complaints, it was good news that I wouldn’t have to face her for a month.

I loathe Mardian to the point of death, but I’m not particularly thinking of revenge. I didn’t have the power to harbor such thoughts in the first place.

Unless I had a protagonist’s buff like Lilian or Viviana, it would be suicide for an extra who clings to noble ladies by acting charming to oppose Mardian in high society.

Honestly, if I used my knowledge of the original story and the surrounding noble ladies, I could inflict a critical blow to Mardian, but there was no need to take such a gamble.

She would fall on her own anyway.

This was the biggest reason why I wasn’t seeking revenge on Mardian. Even if I didn’t do anything, her downfall was inevitable.

Lillian Endoria.

Like Viviana, she is the protagonist of this world and will later reveal all the corruption of the Mardian family to defeat the villainess. At this point, as a lower-ranking priestess, she is likely spending her time doing menial tasks at the temple.

If my timing is correct, Lillian will soon receive the blessing of the Saint and make her debut in society. When that happens, Mardian’s attention will naturally shift back to the protagonist. In the game, Mardian’s interest in Lillian and his harassment of her remains unchanged, regardless of the route taken.

‘Lillian is a bit pitiful.’

Having to deal with a pervert with a sinister nature like Mardian. Moreover, our protagonist, who is kind-hearted enough to be called a pushover, will find it even more troublesome.

But well, that’s not my concern.

No matter what hardships Lillian faces,

As long as it’s not me.

….

Hehehe-